When Omega's eyes slowly flutter open, she realizes instantly that the world as she knows it has been completely transformed.

A pristine, sparkling white blanket had settled over Pabu. She could hear the faint tinkling of laughter in the distance as children, all bundled up in cozy jackets, chased each other around with hasty handmade ammunition. Further down, elegant swirls marked the surface of the frozen lake.

She's never gotten dressed so fast. Today, she forgoes the ladder entirely and jumps straight down from the gunner's mount. Omega beelines for the cockpit, intent on dragging every single one of her brothers out to play—

—until she very nearly collides with something. Or rather, someone. A steadying hand lands on her shoulder, and she glances up to see Hunter smiling at her. "Morning, kiddo. What's got you so excited?"

She can't hold back her smile any longer. "It SNOWED," she cries giddily. "It finally snowed. Can we go out and play? Pleeeease?"

For a moment, Hunter pretends to consider it. Knowing how thrilled his little girl would be once she found out it had snowed made something warm blossom in his chest, and he had immediately cancelled all plans for the day. The decision to let her frolic to her heart's content had been unanimous.

"I don't see why not," he says at last, nothing but fond amusement twinkling in his eyes. "C'mon, let's get you ready."

***

Ten minutes later, both Omega and Hunter were bundled up in the warmest winter wear they owned. Hand in hand, the pair walked down the Marauder's ramp, leaving the comfort of their home and stepping into the magnificent winter wonderland that awaited.

She put her foot forward with some hesitation, unsure of how deep the snow was. Thankfully, it barely rose above her ankles, so she took another step. And another, and another, until she broke into a sprint, the snow crunching beneath her feet while her blonde curls flew behind her, catching the faint morning light. When Omega finally turned around, Hunter had become all but a speck in the distance, but she could see his smile in her mind's eyes as clearly as if he was standing right beside her.

She laughed softly to herself, amazed. Her every breath came out in soft puffs and despite the gentle sting of cold air on her cheeks, she was radiant, glowing with a warmth that no winter could touch.

But in her amazement, she missed the twin snowballs hurtling toward her and it wasn't until she keenly felt their impact did she snap back to the present. It didn't take long to find the culprits. Wrecker and Crosshair, both wearing identical smirks, were armed with snowballs barely 10 meters away. "HA! Gotcha!" Wrecker laughed, lightly (but no less threateningly) tossing yet another snowball in his hand.

Omega's jaw dropped. She was horribly outmatched; there was no way she could beat both of them on her own. Currently out of options, her fight-or-flight instincts roared to life: run. 

It was an all-out war. She only narrowly managed to avoid her brothers' attacks, and by the time she'd found a place to build her base,  they were closing in on her, and fast. Crosshair advanced, attacking faster than she could defend, and she braced for impact just as he moved to launch the winning snowball—

... except it never came.

"Hey, Crosshair!" shouted a familiar voice from somewhere nearby, "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

Omega whipped around, breath catching in her throat.

Echo!

There was hope for victory yet.

And while her oldest brother distracted their resident sniper and strongman, from the corner of her eye, she saw Tech perched on a nearby hill, loading his final snowball onto a makeshift catapult. Omega watched a grin creep onto the face of the usually stoic engineer, and she couldn't help smiling at his antics right along with him. Just as Crosshair was in the middle of some witty retort, Tech let his first snowball fly.

And hit the oblivious Crosshair square in the back of his head.

Echo didn't even bother trying to hide his laughter, and took complete advantage of the marksman's momentary disorientation, lobbing a curveball at his face. With Tech sniping from his vantage point, Echo and Omega taking him head-on, and Hunter looking on at the chaos with unfiltered amusement, Crosshair stood no chance. Wrecker, sensing this, turned on him too.

It didn't take much time at all for the thoroughly disgruntled sniper to turn tail and run. If he thought an escape attempt would be the end of it, he was sorely mistaken. The others were relentless in their pursuit, not stopping until a scowling Crosshair lay pinned down and breathless in the snow by an exuberant Wrecker.

Hunter called for a truce not long after, but not before snapping several photos of his defeated brother first.

***

A steaming cup of hot cocoa in hand, an exhausted Omega nestled into Hunter's side, who didn't hesitate to press a soft kiss to her hair. "Did you have fun today, sweetheart?"

"The best," she whispered back.

Here, snuggled up with the people she loved most, she couldn't ask for anything more wonderful.

***

AAND THERE WE GO! this is my xmas gift to yall :) i really hope u guys liked it bc i LOVED LOVED LOVED writing this so so much :,)) this piece singlehandedly broke me out of writer's block and it is one of my favourite oneshots ive written of all time :,)

anyways happy holidays to all those who celebrate! stay safe and enjoy yourselves!

see you next update (i promise there won't be a months-long wait this time....)!

much love,
jazzy <3